Blood for the Blood God
GUNSHIP / Seth Ickerman
Blood for the Blood God! This is literally the title of the piece for which Gunship (synthwave) chose to collaborate with director Seth Ickerman for a clip, he who had notably signed Carpenter’s medium-length film Brut Blood Machines. Gunship invites us to dive back into his album Unicorn, released last year. In addition to Ickerman, the trio knows how to surround themselves, just look at this casting: the Californians of HEALTH are included, the opportunity for Jake Duszik to perform his characteristic melancholic singing… and Doug Bradley, legendary interpreter of Pinhead in the Hellraiser films, serves as narrator for an introduction with a cosmic flavor before returning to say a few words at the end of the piece. The Unicorn album is not short of prestigious guests (John Carpenter, Dave Lombardo and Tyler Bates are there).
The music video was directed by Seth Ickerman. He says about the clip: “In this film, we are talking about excessive exploitation, symbolized by the greedy entity that devours the riches of a planet until inevitably leading to its end. The insatiable quest for possession ignores the dire consequences of its actions. However, a more spiritual dimension is revealed, where life, equipped with its own consciousness, awakens and stands up against oppression. The planet, rediscovering its soul, embodies rebellion against the invader. Ultimately, the triumphant resilience of life proves that, despite oppression, it has found a way, proving that any attempt at domination is doomed to fail in the face of the unwavering force of existence.”
Actor Doug Bradley adds: “The style of the song intrigued me because it reminded me a lot of that good old synthpop from the 80s but heavier and darker. I’m not very good at attaching labels to music but I think it’s industrial! I loved the mix of genres and how it went with the theme of the video which is quite cosmic, dark, violent and yet manages to be a love story. All these elements came together for me… And then, quite simply, the music is great!”.
Compositing
Compositing in VFX (Visual Effects) is the process of combining multiple visual elements (images, videos, CGI, special effects) to create a final, cohesive, and realistic scene. This involves merging different layers of images from various sources, such as live-action footage, computer-generated elements (CGI), digital special effects (e.g., explosions, fire, etc.), or green screen backgrounds, to give the illusion of a single, coherent scene.
